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August 07, 2004

"Just as Muslims feel that Islam is greatly misunderstood in America so too America is greatly misunderstood in the Muslim world." - says Azhar Usman, a Muslim American comedian who is performing the above titled comedy show in US to counter the negative stereotypes and attitudes about Muslims and Arabs. The comedy is about making fun of themselves, their communities and the prejudices they face. -reports BBC.

This show is aiming to demonstrate that the actions of a handful of extremists acting in the name of Islam have nothing to do with most Muslims.

Controversies arouse when an FBI sting operation composed of bogus plans to launder money and attack a Pakistani official led to the arrests of a 34-year-old Iraqi and Mohammed Hossain, 49, a Bangladeshi-American citizen; both clerics of a New York mosque. Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Comey told a news conference that it was the jury's duty to consider "Were they dragged into criminal activity to which they were not predisposed, by a government overbearing his will?" Well from the local newspaper reports I found that the FBI undercover agent posed as a terrorist reached and proposed them to help plotting a terrorist activity and buy certain missile vide money laundering. They were accused of money laundering and aiding terrorist plot.

The lawyer of the accused says that the case against Muslim cleric is "fantasy" and the prosecution has "racial, religious & cultural" overtones.

Back to the comedy show:

"We've made a lot of progress towards ending racism in America," Azhar tells the audience. "But we've been hearing about it for decades. A black man says he can never get a fair trial in America."